


The Apprentice, or: Tobias Loves Cats (and that makes all the difference)

by LadyFelixTristis



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Background murders, Brief reference to cat death, Cats, Crack Treated Seriously, Gen, I love Cats, Serial Killers, Tobias Loves Cats, Vengeance is had against the killer, can you tell, cats are life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:48:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29794236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyFelixTristis/pseuds/LadyFelixTristis
Summary: One of his tasks had been to care for the cats who lived in his uncle’s home, the front room of which was the String Shop. There were always a lot of them, and they seemed to come and go, but his uncle’s explanation that they were neighborhood strays who moved on after a while seemed to make sense.Little pieces of his heart seemed to break away each time one of his favorites disappeared. There was Arty, a tabby with big green eyes and a sweet meow who reached out for Tobias with a little paw to ask for affection...--In a different world, Tobias has something to live for.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	The Apprentice, or: Tobias Loves Cats (and that makes all the difference)

Josiah Budge taught Tobias everything he knew. 

Josiah saw in Tobias something he recognized: a certain lack of empathy that, if not carefully disguised, could lead to whispering in their mid-size community about _psychopathy_.

He didn’t doubt that both he and his nephew had antisocial personality disorder or something along those lines. He didn’t especially care. He was a respected member of the community. He supplied strings for most of the string instruments in the area and was known for his professionalism and brilliant smile.

—

Tobias was an eager apprentice from the time he was just thirteen. He observed the string-making process and mimicked it, improving his art over the years until the quality of his work surpassed that of his uncle. 

One of his tasks had been to care for the cats who lived in his uncle’s home, the front room of which was the String Shop. There were always a lot of them, and they seemed to come and go, but his uncle’s explanation that they were neighborhood strays who moved on after a while seemed to make sense. 

Little pieces of his heart seemed to break away each time one of his favorites disappeared. There was Arty, a tabby with big green eyes and a sweet meow who reached out for Tobias with a little paw to ask for affection. 

There was Delilah, a calico who followed him everywhere, always interested in what he was doing, always rubbing her lithe body against his calves and shins. 

Dexter was even more quiet than Tobias was, only making small sounds when excited for a feeding. He acted standoffish until the moment Tobias sat down, at which time Dexter immediately sought him out and climbed into his warm lap. His shiny black fur was soft to pet while Tobias listened to his rusty purr. 

Tobias loved cats. Cats were better than humans in so many ways.

He didn’t learn until he was sixteen that his idiotic uncle had misinterpreted _catgut_ string to mean _intestines of actual cats_.

Learning the truth had been a gut punch. His uncle hadn’t been interested in his explanation that _cat_ gut meant something closer to _cattle_ gut. Cat intestines weren’t even ideal for string making. Using them made no sense. Couldn’t they transition to using more appropriate materials?

For two years, Tobias cared for his doomed flock, giving every cat as much affection as they would tolerate before they were taken to be slaughtered. Each time one of them disappeared, knowing their fate made it so much worse. And of course, those little pieces of his heart continued to break away. 

To kick off Tobias’s first year as a legal adult, Josiah Budge tragically “committed suicide.” Used some of his very own string to hang himself. Absolutely dreadful. His funeral was well-attended. Folks might have thought him a bit unsettling, but he was such an upstanding member of society. A member of several boards. Willing to re-string the instruments of poor children for free.

And _of course_ the dear man left his home and shop to his nephew, the apprentice. 

Tobias closed up shop temporarily to find alternative sources of gut, learn how to properly work with them, and replace the entire inventory with strings made from appropriate materials. 

When he opened shop again, the entire community supported him. His smile was even brighter than his uncle’s had been, he was just as generous, and to see him doting on those cats. Well. It was just precious. A young businessman with such a bright future.

—

It did not take him long in his life to discover that the animal he cared least about in the world was his own species. 

His hometown was too small for disappearances to go unnoticed, unfortunately. He eventually moved on, founding his own shop in a large city. 

Every time he slaughtered another of the city’s _cattle_ for materials, he pictured Uncle Josiah. Sometimes, those he slaughtered were specimens who had been ungracious or cruel when they discovered that his shop had several resident cats.

Every time he cooked a meal of their flesh to feed to his precious flock of cats both at home and in the shop, he hoped that his lost friends, wherever they were, felt some justice.

Tobias was very careful. He was not theatrical. His victims quietly disappeared, no trace of them left to be found.

Tobias did not murder a terrible trombonist and turn him into a cello. He thought about it. About how amusing it would be.

But he couldn’t risk getting caught. He had to take care of his cats. They were the most important thing. They were too much to lose.

He thought briefly about befriending other people who thought of humans as cattle, just like he did. And then he realized that those people were human. Thus, cattle.

And he returned to his precious cats. The only friends he needed.


End file.
